spending hits the $2 billion mark. with just 11 days to go, it's still anyone's race. 60 minutes finds the national archives have become a treasure trove for thieves. we begin this morning with a look at today's eye opener, your world in 90 seconds. >> they're calling it the frankenstorm. like nothing we have ever seen. >> hurricane sandy barrels towards the east coast. >> 22 people total killed by this storm already. >> this storm could cause more than $1 billion in damage. >> that could devastate parts of the east coast from florida up to maine. >> this is a time when america faces a big challenge. we want a president that will actually bring big changes and i will and he won't. >> both campaigns on a blitz across the country. >> i want your votes not just because of what i have done but because of what i am going to do. >> barack obama is saying to the

electorate, hit me, baby, one more time. well-to-do manhattan neighborhood stunned by a horrifying crime. >> two small children were stabbed to death by their nanny, who then turned the knife on herself. >> it was the children's own mother who walked in on that bloody scene. emotional reunion between the pakistani school girl shot in the head by the taliban and her family. she is responding well. >> and hits fister on the side of the head. giants up two games to nothing. vikings and bucs in thursday night football, bucs win big. >> now we've got a fight going on. all that -- >> your most embarrassing moment. >> walking in on george bush when he was having a massage. >> john, that was a bad thing to bring up. >> bill, why don't you shut up for a minute? >> what do you think? >> it's not racist. it's just stupid.

>> and all that matters. >> the last few days these independent women, suburban women voters end up tipping the scales. >> on "cbs this morning." >> which is why instead of e-mails, obama is just sending late night texts that say, you e-mails, obama is just sending late night texts that say, you up? captioning funded by cbs bs welcome to "cbs this morning." forecasters have found a new word to describe the potential impact of hurricane sandy on the east coast. they're calling it frankenstorm. >> sandy is pounding the bahamas this morning. by next week it could bring hurricane force winds, strong rain, record-high tides and heavy snow to the northeastern u.s. david bernard, chief meteorologist for our nbc affiliate, channel 4, brings us the latest. >> a category 1 hurricane in the bahamas. it is a little bit weaker than

it was this time yesterday, maximum sustained winds 80 miles per hour. it slowed down a little bit, moving to the northwest at 13. now we think that the storm will leave the bahamas tonight and it's going to parallel the east coast for the next 24 to 48 hours. so by sunday night, early monday morning, it will be roughly east of the outer banks of north carolina and then that infamous turn to the west is expected to occur some time on monday or monday night and an approach to the coastline like that, whether you're talking chesapeake bay or further north toward long island coming in from the east, that's not a very good direction. it's a very unusual one. one of the reasons for it is we have this big roadblock in the central atlantic, big blocking high that will force the storm westward, then it will get caught up in this cold air. there could be factors with this storm that you might not normally see as the hurricane makes landfall. that could be in the form of some winter type activity. >> david, what is the range and

the level of the impact we may see? >> well, this is going to be a very large storm, charlie. already the wind field is growing with it this morning. we expect that to continue to expand over the next 24 to 48 hours. so, when it makes that turn to the west back toward the coast -- we don't know exactly where that's going to be, but near and just to the north of that is probably where the most severe coastal flooding could be anywhere from the cape all the way to southern new england will be a risk for that. storm-force winds for a large part of the northeast, in the midatlantic and then we'll see power outages as well. and there's a possibility of very heavy inland snows, especially, i think, in that western pennsylvania, some of the higher terrain there, western virginia, and maybe even maryland could see heavy snows as a result of the tropical moisture coming in and the winter cold wrapping in behind it. >> david bernard, thank you very much. people on the florida coast are already feeling sandy's impact.

manuel bojorquez joins us just outside miami. >> reporter: good morning. this stretch of the coast is under a tropical storm warning even though hurricane sandy is 200 miles east of here, it still has the potential to bring high winds and heavy rains. south florida has been feeling the effects of hurricane sandy now for 24 hours. as the winds picked up speed and the rain grew stronger, florida residents wasted no time preparing for sandy's arrival. >> as we're speaking, i'm filling sand bags. >> it's going to be a big one. i just hope it doesn't hit us too hard. >> reporter: but floridians aren't the only with ones gearing up for what could be the storm of the season. with with memories of last year's hurricane irene still fresh on everyone's mind, utility companies as far north as connecticut are bracing for the worst. >> getting our resources ready, making sure the people are ready, getting everything in order. >> reporter: in maryland, about

theorys, generators and radios flew off store shelves. >> you're talking five or six days a possibility, so therefore you've got to set a plan for that. >> reporter: planning that could also save lives. hurricane sandy is now blamed for at least 21 deaths across the caribbean. in cuba, nine people were killed as sandy toppled houses, ripped off roofs and flooded entire neighborhoods, making it the island's most deadly storm since 2005. in the dominican republic, flash flooding buried cars and trees under water. in jamaica, most of the eastern part of the island remains without power. even now, flash flooding remains a danger. >> it's going to get worse. >> right now we're in clear and present danger. >> reporter: sandy's destructive potential, those living in her path can only do their best as they prepare for the worst. >> it was just last week we talked about the fact that we haven't had any hurricanes this year and here we are. >> reporter: this storm surge is expected to be anywhere between

one to three feet in areas like this. the threat of storms already forced some cities to cancel school for the day. charlie and norah? >> manuel bojorques, thank you. they are also concerned about sandy's effect on gas prices if it hits oil refineries. rebecca jarvis is here with that side of the story. good morning, rebecca. >> good morning, charlie. >> what could be the effect on gas prices? >> it could send them up. where our gasoline comes from, 6.5% of the gasoline we use in this country comes from the northeastern coast, from new jersey, from pennsylvania, from delaware. the oil gets refined into gasoline there and if those areas are hit by sandy, all of a sudden that shuts down some of the production. that closes off some of the supply and ultimately that could send prices higher. it could even send them higher if it doesn't actually hit because the shipping chapels

around the northeastern coast of the united states is also important as to how we get our gasoline and oil. >> frankly comes back to supply and demand, doesn't it? >> those are the fundamentals. this is the time of year, charlie, when prices tend to fall. we've been seeing that. 25 cents. >> because? >> we go to a new blend. there is a winter blend and a summer blend in gasoline. we're transitioning to the winter blend. it tends to be cheaper much it's also not high time for driving. prices go up in the summer, tend to drop in the fall. that's exactly what we've been seeing this year. we saw it happen a little later, though, because of refinery disruptions earlier in the summer as well. >> thank you, rebecca. norah? to politics now. this morning the presidential campaign has 11 days to go. candidates have now raised, get this, more than $2 billion. and the race is still very, very close. jan crawford is in toledo, ohio, as president obama and mitt romney focused on that crucial battleground state. jan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning,

norah. good morning, charlie. this is a state that romney needs to win. he spent every minute here yesterday. and the campaign says it's really focusing on its ground game, making phone calls, knocking on doors to get that message out. as part of that message, romney hit on a familiar theme. it was from a pretty unlikely source. during three campaign stops thursday in ohio, romney unveiled a new campaign message. >> it's time for a big change. and paul ryan and i represent a big change for america. >> reporter: in 2008 it was then senator obama who ran on the idea of hope and change. >> hope and change are the story of our country. >> reporter: but romney is now arguing his ticket will fulfill that promise. >> america wants to see big changes and we're going to bring big changes to get america stronger again. >> even though my voice is getting kind of hoarse, i've still got a spring in my step. >> reporter: showing signs of losing his voice after a

48-hour, 7,300-mile, eight-state campaign swing, president obama made his final campaign stop in ohio, following rallies in florida, virginia and a quick trip to chicago to cast his vote ahead of november 6th. the mega battleground tour has new polls showing romney gaining ground on the president in the key states of colorado and the former governor closing the gap with female voters in colorado. earlier, the president did receive a formal endorsement from colin powell. >> i voted for him in 2008 and plan to stick with him in 2012 and i will be voting for he and vice president joe biden next month. >> reporter: former bush administration official on the campaign trail zbl. >> i was proud and humbled to learn today we have colin powell's support in this

campai campaign. and i am grateful to him for his service to this country as a soldier and as a diplomat. >> reporter: senator john mccain expressed disappointment of powell's endorsement of his former opponent. >> i just wish he wouldn't call himself a republican. we republicans have a history of supporting other republicans. i don't think it will change one vote. >> you have to wonder whether that's an endorsement based on issues or whether he's got a slightly different reason for preferring president obama. >> what reason would that be? >> well, i think when you have somebody of your own race that your proud of being president of the united states, i applaud colin for standing with him. >> reporter: now last night after that interview, john sununu released a statement. i'm going to read it. he said colin powell is a friend and i respect the endorsement decision he made and i do not doubt that it was based on anything but his support of the president's policies. pier morgan's question was whether colin powell should leave the party, and i don't

think he should. now this morning, romney is going off to iowa, delivering a big economic speech on jobs. then, norah and charlie, guess where he will be, right back here in ohio. >> jan crawford, thank you. latest gallup daily tracking poll shows governor romney with a three-point lead over president obama. and for the first time washington post/abc news poll shows 50% of likely voters are backing romney. john dickerson is in toledo, ohio. john, good morning. >> good morning, charlie. >> i want to take a lock at this first on the outside, the rallies. do you see any change in the tone or feeling of the rallies you're watching? >> well, when you're at a romney rally, since denver, his good performance in that first debate, you've started to see not just enthusiasm of beating barack obama but enthusiasm actually for romney. we spent a lot of time talking about how romney was a tep id, acceptable nominee. now when he is on stage, it has

nothing to do with beating barack obama and the crowd will go nuts. that doesn't mean he will win the election but it does suggest that you have the enthusiasm you need. barack obama still got plenty of support from his base, too. this race is tied in every possible way, enthusiasm in rallies feels like it's tied, too. >> what do you notice from conversation on insiders of where they may be nervous or where they may say one thing but are worried about something else? >> reporter: here is the tone difference between the two campaigns. the romney people feel like they are on the march. they feel like it's -- particularly in a state like ohio, they feel like things are getting better, they are moving, taking advantage of good opportunities and the candidate feels good. and the obama campaign, the president putting out a 20-page policy program, showing he has plans.

that's a reaction to the charge from the romney campaign, this attempt to go back to women voters, where he is losing some support, that's also a defensive move. it doesn't mean the president is going to lose. it just means if romney son the march, the obama forces are there at the barricade. >> john, if mitt romney is to win the presidency, he not only has to win ohio but some other battleground states. we now have new polls in colorado and virginia. colorado shows it tied. and in virginia shows romney up two points. inside those polls we've seen obama's lead among women cut in half. how significant is that? >> well, that's a problem because he is not doing very well among men in many of these polls. so he's not getting it with men or women, he's running out of gender. he needs to -- but he also will never make up the difference in men just with women. so he needs to improve his status with both genders.

and the problem for him, of course, is that time is running out that he's having to deal with improving the situation with women at this late time is a problem for the president. >> john dickerson, thank you. norah? police are investigating a horrific double murder in a wealthy new york city neighborhood. as terrell brown reports, the victims are two young children and the nanny is the susceptible. >> reporter: a mother returned home to find two of her children brutally stabbed to death and lying in a bathtub. the children's nanny laid nearby with apparently a self-inflicted wound. she had cut her own throat. >> unbelievable. just unbelievable. i can't imagine what the mother is feeling. >> reporter: 6-year-old lucia and 2-year-old leo had been stabbed multiple times. neighbors describe ed blood curdling screams coming from the mother and the superintendent when they found the bodies.

>> screams were heard by a neighbor who alerted police and who arrived and found the children dead. >> reporter: marina's friend seen being led to an ambulance by a bed sheet earlier had taken her 3-year-old to a swimming lesson, leaving lucia and eo with the nanny. kitchen krim was met at the airport by police with the grim news. he was taken to her side at the hospital. >> give her peace. >> reporter: neighbors say mrs. k are rim was a devoted mother, having recently spent a vacation at ortega's family home in the dominican republic. ortega is in critical, but stable condition and has yet to be charged with a crime. cbs "cbs this morning," terrell brown, new york. the pakistani girl shot in the head for defying the taliban is recovering quickly, according to her father.

he spoke for the first time this morning as 15-year-old malala yousafzai as the family visited her in a british hospital where she is being treated. his father says it is a meeirac miracle and she is recovering with encouraging speed. she will rise again, he said, she will stand again. reports that iran is sxangd its influence in afghanistan. iran's government is funding project, enlarging intelligence networks across the country, moving in as the u.s. moves out. the washington post finds the so-called fiscal cliff is already hurting the u.s. economy. a report from the national association of manufacturers says potential tax hikes and spending cuts next year have wiped out nearly 1 million jobs this year. that report also says if congress does not act by december 31st, the u.s. could lose 6 million jobs with the unemployment rate hitting 12% by

2014. deciding not to send forces during the attack on the consulate in libya because officials did not have clear to show what was happening. they said you don't send forces into harm's way without knowing what's taking place. more than luck is involved in the giants world series success, beating the tigers 2-0 in san francisco. they lead the series two games to none. game three is tomorrow night in,